Washington: US Senator Todd Young and Taiwanese Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu expressed hope for an even stronger partnership between the United States and Taiwan, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said.
Young is on a visit to Taiwan from January 16-18. He has already met with Taiwan’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen, and Joseph Wu, and exchanged views on security, trade and economic issues.
“They reiterated Taiwan’s pivotal role in regional security and the global economy at this critical geopolitical juncture and eagerly anticipated ever stronger partnership between our countries,” the ministry said on Twitter.
The situation around Taiwan escalated after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. Beijing condemned Pelosi’s trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Despite this fact, several countries, including France, the US, Japan and others, have since sent their delegations to the island, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
